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A wide, amused smile split across Laurince’s face. “We’re going to have to work on your aim, my lady.”
The woman strolled up to him and smacked him in the chest. “Oh, hush, Laurince,” the woman said. “I’m just glad I found you instead of some other bloke. Could you imagine if I had struck Sebastian instead? It was a good thing we planned ahead.”
Laurince had never mentioned he was courting someone. Kallie assumed he was not since he had participated in the Last Dance. Then again, why would he confide in her? They rarely talked.
The woman threw her hands around Laurince’s neck, and Laurince looked down at the woman. With a smirk, he murmured, “Oh, I’m a bloke now? Tell me how you really feel, Ferencia.” Laurince wrapped his arms around the woman’s waist.
“Make me,” the woman said.
Laurince tightened his grip around her as he lifted her up, forcing a giggle out of the woman. Laurince gripped the back of the woman’s thighs.
The heat in their locked gazes forced Kallie to turn away.
As Kallie continued the trek through the forest, the woman’s statement rang in Kallie’s ears.Why hadn’t she and Rian planned a meeting spot? That would have been the smart thing to do, the logical thing. Instead, Rian kept the whole charade a secret, not even bothering to mention that she would participate. What good was hiding the truth when Kallie was supposed to find him among the rest of the men? How was she supposed to differentiate Rian from the others? The Frenzians wore the same helmets and armor, the same simple black trousers and shirts that faded into the night.
It was ludicrous. Madness, really.
She kicked a rock as she walked, sending it skittering into a nearby bush.
Walking deeper into the forest, more giggles bounced between the oak trees. Through the brush, Kallie spotted a man weaving between the trunks with a hurried pace. She tightened her grip on the bow. But as she continued to observe him, she knew his shoulders were too narrow to belong to Rian and loosened her grasp once more.
Not a minute later, a woman came sprinting from the direction the man had fled, shouting, “Stay still, you buffoon!”
The man shouted over his shoulder, laughter filling his words, “You have to be quicker than that to catch me, Draekina!”
Twigs snapped in his wake as he ran deeper into the woods. With a disgruntled groan, the woman picked up her pace and followed after him, a renewed sense of determination propelling her forward.
Kallie shook her head. She supposed the men still held some power in their hands, the ability to decide whether they wanted to be caught. Kallie only hoped Rian wouldn’t want to drag this out longer than necessary like that man.
But where would Rian be?
She looked up at the treetops. A small spot among the leaves and branches was empty, revealing a crack in the starry night sky. And as she stared at the twinkling stars, she recalled a conversation she had with him one day in the library a couple of weeks back.
* * *
Rian flippedhis book onto his lap, saving his page, and looked up at the skylight. “When I was a child and couldn’t sleep, I used to come here in the middle of the night.”
Kallie brought her gaze up from her book, tilting her head. “You had sleeping problems as a child?”
“Mhm,” Rian nodded. “Still do.”
“Me too.” She didn’t realize she had admitted that out loud until he looked at her, not with a look of sympathy but rather with understanding. Kallie folded her legs underneath her on the plush wine-red chaise.
Rian cleared his throat and returned his gaze to the sky. Dawn was coming, and the sky had begun to melt from dark navy to a rosy pink hue. “Losing myself in a book always helped clear my head, for the words on the page silenced the noise. Sometimes, I would get so lost in whatever fantasy I was reading that I was still here when the stars disappeared and morning arrived. While I no longer read fantasies, I still find myself wanting to chase the stars.”
Kallie remained silent, unsure of what to say. In a strange sense, she understood what Rian meant. She, too, often felt like she was chasing dreams beyond her reach, beyond her control. Every time she came close to achieving one of them, something else got in the way, distracted her, and pushed the dream further from her grasp.
“Do you have a favorite constellation, Kallie?” Rian asked.
Kallie turned her head to the sky as though she could still see them through the sun’s glowing rays. “Sabina’s constellation is probably my favorite. I have always felt a sort of . . .”
“Connection?” Rian asked.
“I suppose,” Kallie said, not wanting to say more, for she now knew the real reason for that connection. Sabina’s blood, however diluted it was, ran through her veins, granting her the gift that made Kallie who she was. Clearing her throat, she tucked her folded legs tighter to her body. “What about you? Do you have a favorite, Rian?”
He was silent for a moment, making Kallie think he would not give her this one piece of information about him as though it was a closely kept secret. Then, at last, he said, “It is not as well-known as the constellations of the gods, but the Draconian constellation is my favorite. There’s a story about my ancestors that perhaps one day I can tell you that draws connections to Draconian. So maybe that’s why I have always found myself drawn to it. As a child, I often followed it to see where it would take me. It’s to the right of Ryla’s constellation and points to the east. Whenever I’m lost, I still feel myself following it.”
* * *
